The 29th day of the Counting of the Omer begins on Tuesday night. Tonight we count four weeks and one day of the Omer. Today is Pesach Sheini, the “Second Passover,” on which a person who could not observe Passover at its regular time could have a second chance to fulfill the obligation.

This is the day of Chesed within Hod, love within humility. On this day, I think about how true humility is an experience of love – loving the amazing world around us and loving the blessing of being alive. Humility lowers the ego, but it lifts the soul.

I find that my truest moments of humility come when I allow myself to feel compassion for another person. If I am having difficulty with someone, I try to imagine myself in that person’s shoes. I consider the hardships the other person faces. Then I discover that, instead of feeling annoyed or angered by that person, I am awed by his or her struggles and feel humbled by them. Compassion inspires humility.

Pesach Sheini can be understood as an act of divine compassion and human humility. A person who was unable to fulfill the rituals of Passover in their proper time might feel humbled in recognizing his or her imperfections and limitations. However, the person may also feel the love of a God who gives second chances. This is a quality of forgiveness – when we are forgiven we feel both humbled and loved.

On this 29th day of the Counting of the Omer, I commit to keeping my heart open with compassion for other people and humility in recognizing their struggles.

May this be a day in which you find that love opens your heart. May you lovingly find the humility to accept the world that has been given to you as a gift that is worth more than can be measured.

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This blog is about living a joyful Jewish life and bringing joy to synagogues and the Jewish community. Join the conversation by commenting on posts and sharing your experiences. For more on the topic, read the First Post.